The Only Thing to Fear
by HorseLoverTW
Summary: Sequel to "In a Hell Dimension Far Far Away..." Read that first. It's several months after the events of TPM and Buffy and Ben are hot on the trail of Palpatine when suddenly, everything crashes all around them. Buffy/Obi-Wan
1. Into the Black

The Only Thing to Fear…

**The Only Thing to Fear…**

Disclaimer: Buffy is the property of Joss Whedon. Star Wars is the property of George Lucas.

"_Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."_ Yoda

"_So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." _ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A/N:_ Alright, here begins my sequel to 'In a Hell Dimension Far Far Away…' Reviews are always welcome and I'll try to respond to all that I can. As far as the story goes, I am completely abandoning Star Wars canon for the most part. The only things I'll try to keep in canon are those already established in my previous story. This means that Obi-Wan will still act like Ben and the Council will still be the council and etc. Other characters from the SW universe might not fare as well. Now, all that being said, on with the story!_  Italics flashbacks.

**Chapter 1: Into the Black**

It always seemed to amaze everyone how easily things came to Buffy: men, vampires, slaying, fencing, acrobatics, karate… accessorizing. In fact, it's somewhat shocking that the only thing that had never come easily to the Slayer was driving. For someone with reflexes that could put a podracer to shame, it really was odd how completely and utterly horrible at driving she was. Which is why when it came time for Buffy to get behind the controls of a starship, she had been so surprised.

Buffy was an excellent, unnervingly good pilot.

Which is how she found herself alone, cruising the cold blackness of space in her one-seated, claustrophobic cockpit. Had she been a poor, or even mediocre pilot, she'd never have made it out of Coruscant in the little Nabooian Starfighter.

Buffy and Padme had stayed in touch after the series of events that had culminated in Tiggy's death. In a flash, panic seized her mind as the memories sought to take over once more and Buffy was forced to relive the choking hyperventilation as the Sith strangled her through his use of the force. Water sprung to her eyes from the intensity of the memory and then she was there, remembering the sweet shock of oxygen as Obi-Wan had saved her. He had looked so… relieved, to see she was still alive; like that was all he needed to do before he could leave this realm. Just make sure she was alive…

Shaking her head, Buffy wiped away the water in her eyes with a fierceness that would have left raw, red streaks on her puffy eyelids and hallowed cheeks had she been anything but the Slayer. As it was, the only marks left were the scars she carried deep in her chest, scars that ached continuously in tandem with the stiff drumming of her heart.

Padme had been a good friend through it all though. And when it came time for Buffy to get out of Coruscant… when events triggered had left no other option, Padme had been there to provide the means. All Buffy had to do was sneak out, a task she'd been honing since she was fifteen.

The only problem had arisen when she'd been hovering just off the small landing pad and had felt…_ him_ watching. His horrible, unsettling grin had nearly driven her off the deep end and she'd been so preoccupied watching the menacing ripple of his purple cloak as it flapped in the breeze her small fighter was generating that she'd nearly crashed into the oncoming wave of flying traffic. Her superb reflexes and newfound piloting proficiency were her only saviors- because she really was all on her own.

And she knew, with out the slightest trace of doubt, that the devil with the silvery hair and cold, calculating eyes knew it as well.

It had been a mere week before her escape that Buffy and Obi-Wan had chanced upon the Muun in one of the more unsavory portions of Coruscant.

"_A bar? Seriously?" Buffy asked Ben, her eyebrow quirked skeptically as they stepped through the heavy metallic door under the neon Arabic-like symbols. Just behind the thick door, music rocked the air, driving all the way through to Buffy's bones in its hypnotically pounding techno rhythm. Her brain felt like it might vibrate all the way through her skull with the pounding but a quick glance at Obi-Wan made the whine freeze on the tip of her tongue. He looked as calm as ever and as poised as a Jedi Knight- which he kind of was now. _

_But he must have seen the migraine-pained expression on her face, because the first thing he said was, "Do you need to wait outside?"_

_Quickly, Buffy pulled her face and her pounding thoughts together. "Err, no." He still looked unconvinced, so she shot him a smile- that particular one that she just couldn't seem to stamp out once she let it by her lips; a smile that seemed to be contagious as of late as it was often in the habit of being returned. "Can't leave you all by your lonesome to face this guy anyway, right?" _

"_Well, perhaps if you tried…" he suggested, a familiar smirk forming lazily across his mouth. Buffy licked her lips. _

_Unable to say it aloud for fear of witnesses, she mentally returned- sure that he'd pick up her thoughts as they were as attuned to each other now as her Slayers senses had been to the movement of vampires and demons- 'Don't make me visit your room tonight, Mr. Kenobi.'_

_Used to her continuous assaults on his patience… and virtue, Obi-Wan replied casually, his tone still playful as he and Buffy scoured the stools at the bar and the many scattered tables against the wide, red walls, "And what if that had been my intension all along?"_

"_Then I'd have to say I've done a remarkably good job corrupting you, Grasshopper." _

"_Grassho…?"_

"_Shh. Just an expression, Benjy." Buffy laid her smaller hand over his wrist and pointed with her other toward one of the darkened tables in the back, by what looked like the restrooms. "Looks like our guy, twelve o' clock."_

"_That would be straight in front of us, correct?" Ben asked sarcastically as Buffy began to drag him toward the small, lemur-like man sitting uncomfortably by himself and watching nervously as the Slayer and Jedi approached. _

_He was incredibly tiny, just under four feet, and had the delicate look of a child in his waif-like appearance and slender arms and legs. His face, by far his most notable feature, was startlingly pale, almost white, with a shock of black hair combed flat back against his scalp. Black skin also contrasted with the white of his face around his glowing yellow eyes and his button-shaped nose. The lemur look was completed when he sprung, monkey-like from his seat and greeted the two. _

"_Jediii?" he asked hesitantly in an inhumanly screechy and rather nasal sounding voice. It would have attracted unwanted attention but for the incessantly pounding techno. _

"_Yes. I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my partner, Buffy Summers," Ben introduced easily, his tone soothing and his aura generating a calm that Buffy could tangibly perceive. _

_The little creature gave a jerky nod before gesturing to the table behind him. "If ou please."_

_Buffy seated herself beside Ben and across from Lemur man, curiously peeking into the goblet in front of her only long enough to smell its snot green contents and quickly set it back down and push it as far away from her as possible. _

_Ben folded his hands and rested them on the table's top, another movement Buffy knew him to use when trying to settle a spooked informant. _

_Lemur man didn't seem to buy it though and continued to regard them both nervously, even glancing inconspicuously around the table once to catch a glimpse of both their lightsabers. He gave a little shudder at the realization that they were both packing. _

_But, uh, what had he been expecting anyway? A bouquet and an assortment of Dex's famous chocolates? Or, you know, chocolate-like material. These aliens didn't really believe in making anything easy for her. _

_And sure, of course Buffy still felt that certain thrill of fear and hatred for the weapon at her hip, but her love for it outweighed the guilt and ridicule she carried with it. Tiggy's red lightsaber, only a singular blade since Ben had lobbed off the other beam on that fateful day in Theed, had proved itself a good weapon and had begun its own personal road to redemption. Buffy was very proud of it and she challenged anyone who doubted it to take it from her. Few had attempted. _

_Lemur man straightened up his spindly spine and made a gallant effort to ignore the imposey-ness Buffy could only assume she and Ben presented. "As I am sure ou re-lize, I am coming ere at great per-sonal risk ou myself."_

"_We will do everything in our power to protect your anonymity," Ben affirmed, his cultured voice resonating with sincerity. His tranquil blue eyes were shining with a sureness that, had Buffy been in Lemur man's shoes, she definitely would have felt the urge to believe him. Ben was just that good. _

_Buffy nodded encouragingly. "Mums the word, Mr. Muun." Ben had briefed her before their meeting that the informant would be a native of the Planet Mygeeto, a Muun- which apparently equated to a screechy monkey man with a poor taste in drinks. _

_His glowing yellow eyes swiveled back and forth uneasily between herself and Ben. He finally seemed to come to a decision and licked his black lips nervously. Buffy was sure that if he were human, he'd be wiping the sweat from his brow about now. "My boss, a most isagree-ouble individ-ual, oz lately been en contact wit a force eben darker than imself."_

"_Your bossy's nameage would be pretty gripping about now," Buffy suggested in a tone she hoped sounded inconsequential. _

"_If he isovers I told ou, my life ould end."_

"_That's not going to happen," Ben said. "And without his name, I'm afraid all of your sacrifice here tonight will not be worth much."_

_Lemur man's yellow eyes seemed to widen even more, if that were possible, and he reached out and clutched the mug before him. His hands shaking so horribly that he nearly spilled most of it in the effort, he swallowed and carefully set it back down. In a surprisingly clear voice he uttered, "Silas Cain."_

"_Thank you," Buffy said, genuinely impressed with Lemur's man's courage- what with his drinking that disgusting snot stuff. Points also for the handing in his bosses name, but at the moment, that seemed the lesser of the two feats. _

"_And this new associate of Cain's?" Ben prompted._

"_I aave never seen im, but I ear is voice free-quently."_

_Buffy glanced at Ben. 'That's not going to do us much good. I think our best bet is to track down this Silo character.' _

_He nodded at her and turned to Lemur man, his face perfectly open and blank. "Mygeeto is a fairly large planet, as I'm sure you're more than aware. Where could we find your boss, Mr. Silas…" he looked at Buffy pointedly, "Cain?"_

_Ugh, did he ALWAYS have to correct her on the names? Was it HER fault everyone here had names weird enough to make a sci-fi novelist blush? _

_The little man apparently didn't notice Ben's jibe as he was quick to reply, "That ould not be diffi-cult. Ee is the owner ob one ob the biggest particle ener-gee companies, Cain Enterprises."_

"_One more question, if you please," Ben asked. Lemur man nodded solemnly. "Thank you, you've been more than helpful. You say you've overheard many of Mr. Cain's conversations with this new associate. Could you tell me the nature of these discussions? What was this stranger so eager to acquire that would have you nervous enough to seek Jedi intervention?"_

_For the first time this meeting, Lemur man's glowing yellow eyes ceased their twitchy shifting and narrowed, making the black spots around his eyes appear darker somehow and casting his whole face in an odd light. "I forget ow obser-bant the Jedi are. My apolo-gees." He didn't look very apologetic however. "Particle ener-gee may be used ou supply a number ob things. I aave no idea the partic-ular venue intended bor Mr. Cain's newest associate, but the list ob materials needed set me wit great unease."_

"_Elaborate much?" _

_He shot her a nasty glare but slowly went on anyway, seemingly against his own will. Buffy was highly suspicious by the intense gaze Ben was giving the poor guy that some Jedi trickery was involved. "It ould be suitable bor a very large scale pro-duction."_

"_How large?" Ben asked intently. " Space-station sized?" _

_He shook his little head. "Bigger. Planet sized."_

_Buffy and Ben were speechless for a moment. Finally, Ben managed to ask, "And any idea what this planet's intent would be?"_

"_It's diffi-cult ou say. I don't know the major-ity ob the parts ee as ordered, but some that I do recog-nize, appear ou be weapons-grade."_

_Ben quickly stood and grabbed Buffy's elbow, pulling her up from her seat as well. "Thank you once again. If you find out anything else, don't hesitate to reach us in the same manner- Dex is well accustomed to discretion, as our we."_

_Lemur man stood as well, still jittery in his movements and once again on the look out from whatever it was that made him look like a withdrawal patient. "I ould wish ou good luck, but I am not sure ib I ould be meaning it."_

_Ben gave a short nod and sort of saluted by putting his pointing finger to his temple briefly. Buffy was about to mentally snort at him for his extra level of weirdness for the day, but before she could, he was leading her away from the table and out of the crowded bar. _

_Once out on the relatively empty and quiet street, Buffy rolled her eyes and said, "So tell me what I missed being the non-mind reader of our posse."_

"_He fears that Cain already has suspicions about his loyalty. It was suggested that his wife and child might be in danger if any of those suspicions were confirmed. They're already being held over his head."_

"_And you believe him?"_

"_I see no reason not to at the moment. At the very least, we should investigate Cain."_

"…_because it couldn't hurt?" Buffy asked helpfully._

_Ben grinned down at her. "Yes, because it couldn't hurt." _

How wrong could you be? If Buffy had known a week ago how screwed up things would have ended up, she so definitely would have smacked him about then.

But, as Master Voodoo often liked to point out to her, she didn't have a Jedi's foresight.

But mopey time later. She had a mission. A mission that, yea no one else knew about, and yea, would probably dead end on some back street in Mygeeto, but was still all she had to cling to right now. It wouldn't do to land half-assed on the planet and fumble it up right off the bat. She just wished, now more than ever, that Ben was here with her.

Stupid Chancellor…

Buffy hated Chancellor Palpatine with every fiber of her being. Not because he had ever particularly violated her in any way, just because he made her nauseous by his mere presence. And had anyone else ever had this same grievance, it probably wouldn't have been that huge a deal. But when it's just your word- or stomach as the case may be- against the word of the most powerful man in the galaxy, it doesn't normally fair that well.

Like, for instance, when it's Palpatine's word against yours in front of the Jedi High Council, as it was several days after Ben and her had met with their very own screechy-throated lemur man.

"_Why is he here?" Buffy hissed at Ben as soon as they had entered the circular high windowed chamber room where the council conducted its proceedings. _

_The Chancellor, or Devil-incognito as Buffy preferred to think of him, was standing calmly before Yoda and the others, his politician's smile breaking unabashedly across his cold face as he spotted Obi-Wan and her enter. _

"_Ah! Your brightest new Knight!" He beamed, gliding over to Obi-Wan and firmly shaking his hand even as Buffy herself shied away. "And Miss Summers, so delightful to see you again."_

_Buffy knew as she saw the cold glint behind his eyes that it was anything but. And in an odd way, it sort of comforted her to know that she wasn't the only one in the room itching to make use of her red beam. Given the chance, she got the feeling Palpy would be more than happy to try his hand at some slice n'dice. With, you know, preferably her as the recipient. _

_Even as she thought this, she noticed Palpy's eyes drift down to the lightsaber at her hip and for the tiniest fraction of a millisecond, she could have sworn they glinted yellow. She shivered involuntarily and edged closer to Obi-Wan. _

_For his part, Ben stayed as cool as the ice-creamy wonderfulness he was named after and responded to the sheer force of hunking evil before them in so neutral a voice he might have been conferring with Qui-Gon about the weather, "A pleasure to see you again, Chancellor." He turned his gaze to Yoda. "We were summoned?"_

"_Yes. Summoned you were," Yoda began, carefully avoiding Buffy's eyes as he continued. "Believe, the Chancellor does, that under suspicion he is by the Jedi Council."_

_Which he kind of is, Buffy thought darkly, glaring at Palpatine's back as he turned around to face Yoda, Ki-Adi and old Macey. _

_Ben grazed a finger against her hand in warning, a movement that maybe took only about a centimeter to make but which she felt entirely sure the entire Council must have noticed. Or, if they hadn't, the beginnings of the blush creeping up her neck would probably do the job. _

"_No, no, my friends. You misinterpret," Palpy said with a smile. Buffy swallowed to keep the bile down. "I merely suggested that one of your non-Jedi employees was stepping over-bounds," his sickly-sweet voice dropped a few degrees as he added, "In places she clearly has no business being."_

_Buffy didn't miss the 'she' part he was hinting at. For such a "masterful" politician, Palpy sure seemed to have his work cut out for him in the whole 'bluntness' department. _

_It was Macey that replied first. "What would you have us do?" His deep, commanding voice sounded tired and Buffy wondered, not for the first time, what it was Voodoo did all day besides casting disapproving judgments on her that made him so perpetually wearied. _

"_I," Palpy said eagerly, his tone as slick as oil, "Would ask no more than for the Jedi to keep to themselves, as I'm aware is in fact your policy. Make no exception for this girl." Uh, hello? Standing right here! "My receptionist has made numerous grievances about how often she is pestered by Miss Summers and I fear I can no longer discount the somewhat potentially violent streak I've witnessed in her unstable habits." What!? It was just that one time that the secretary had been completely rude that Buffy had been forced to accidentally spill a little of the hot and trashy beverage she'd been forced to sip on for the past hour while waiting for the wrinkly old bastard to get around to them. _

"_Know you do, Chancellor, that interfering with Jedi affairs, serious matter this is. Careful have the Senate and Council been to avoid such matters." Buffy felt a warmth of gratitude rush out to the little muppet for his defense. _

"_And I regret having to do so now. But as I have stated, and you are all aware, Miss Summers is not a member of the Jedi order, and as such, is clearly in the wrong for having so forwardly overstepped her boundaries as a citizen of Coruscant." If only he knew the truth of her citizenry. Unlike the numerous demon-like creatures she'd run into throughout her stay in this dimension, she was probably as close to a real live alien as they'd ever witnessed. Too bad she really didn't feel at liberty sharing with Palpy. _

_He'd probably use it as an added bonus excuse to lock her up. _

"_Saying this to us, as Chancellor are you? Or 'friend'?" Man, Yoda was so completely awesome. Kermit, eat your heart out! _

_Though, you know, not literally. Because even if Kermit wasn't as cool as Yoda, that's still no reason for him to have his heart eaten or anything. _

"_Master Yoda, I am always Chancellor Palpatine. I fear it goes with the job." Yea, like he's really shaking in his tailored boots, Buffy thought sarcastically, causing Ben's lip to twitch._

_But then Palpatine said, "And you will release Miss Summers from your services immediately or I will put the entire Temple under investigation for treason," and whatever sarcasm or amusement had previously existed in the Council chambers was sucked out like oxygen in outer space. _

_Or like a Sith's strangle hold around your throat. _

_And just like that, Buffy couldn't breath. She couldn't see- even as the Chancellor left the room, and she definitely couldn't hear- even as Yoda regretfully told her that she would have to vacate her apartment that very night. _

Buffy inhaled sharply at the memory, forcing it to leave her subconscious. Mygeeto was nearing, and she'd have to start her descent procedures even now, a couple thousand miles away. It was a daunting thought for a former L.A. valley girl.

She eased up on the manual throttle- because naturally, a Slayer couldn't be caught dead using automatic at any point during an interstellar journey- and double-checked her navigation coordinates. Right on target for Mygeeto… and her date with one Mr. Silas Cain.


	2. Cold

The Only Thing to Fear…

**The Only Thing to Fear…**

Disclaimer: Buffy is the property of Joss Whedon. Star Wars is the property of George Lucas.

"_Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."_ Yoda

"_So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." _ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A/N:_ Huge thanks to all my reviewers! If you have questions, feel free to ask, but keep in mind that a great majority of this story is going to be told in flashbacks. Flashbacks will be in italics on and with on Twisting the Hellmouth. _

**Chapter 2: Cold**

Okay, it was official- Mygeeto totally sucked. First, Buffy had to navigate through an asteroid field to enter its frozen atmosphere- a task that she was proud to say she had accomplished with only two small dents on her starfighter. Then had come the blizzard. Yea, turns out, Mygeeto is like one big swirly mess of purple clouds and hails storms raging about twenty-four seven over jagged icicle mountains with nasty sharp crystallized edges. Not the most inviting place.

The icing on the cake, however, was that the cities- they were just as formidable as the stupid planet! Once Buffy had finally found a decently level track of snow to land on, within view of the skyline of one of Mygeeto's wealthy cities… something or other- the name was playing a little hard to get with Buffy- she had thrown open the ceiling to her cockpit and let in the rush of frigid air.

And OH MY GOD!! was it cold!! The Slayer, clothed only in her favorite ribbed black tank Padme had given her and the matching black pants and boots, began to shiver uncontrollably. She clutched her arms to her chest as though her life depended on it and frantically scrambled around in her cramped seat to find the small fleecy blanket she knew to be stuffed back there. Just when she thought her fingers would fall off from frostbite, she chanced upon it and quickly wrapped it around herself.

That was one of the nifty things about this dimension- their blankets could warm themselves. Kind of like an electric blanket, but without all the fuss of having the cord and stuff. It was way useful and if she ever made it back to Sunnydale, she was totally going to have to bring this with.

Hopping like a snow bunny toward the imposing black spired skyscrapers with the heated blanket wrapped tightly around her like a straight jacket, Buffy knew she maybe wasn't going to make the impression on Silo that she'd been hoping for. But at least she was going to make an impression.

Not like Ben would of though. He'd probably have known all about how horrible this crystallized excuse of a planet was and been all prepared with jackets and his favorite heavy duty brown cloak and…

_"Buffy, I'm so sorry. Palpatine must have known more than we thought. That, or we hit too close to home with that last informant," Obi-Wan whispered helplessly behind her as she unlocked her apartment door. Which was more of a task than it ought to have been, what with all the stupid water in her eyes making the keypad for her combination look all blurry. AND what was that number anyway! It was so difficult to remember… _

_The only thing that wasn't difficult to remember, however, was that incessant voice in her head saying over and over again, 'leave tonight, you must… leave tonight, you must…' like a freaking parakeet! _

"_Shhh," Ben soothed, grabbing up her hands that for some reason had been pounding on the keypad instead of entering her combination. He gently clasped them in his own and pulled her around to face him, bringing their interlaced hands tight against his chest. _

_Buffy suddenly seemed to realize where she was- the familiar hallway both her and Ben shared as their apartments were located right beside each other's. And she realized, with a start, that Ben was openly showing affection- maybe not as sizzly as some of the stuff they'd done, but he was doing it out in the open. Anyone could turn the corner at that very moment and spot them! Ben could get kicked out of the Temple!!_

"_What are you doing!?" Buffy cried, prying her hands free as she did so. _

_Ben didn't resist her nor did he show the least bit of hurt as he quickly tapped in her number and opened the door for her, ushering her inside. "It's alright, Buffy. You don't have to be so upset. I won't leave you."_

"_You…" Buffy froze, just inside her apartment and turned back to Ben who was shutting the door carefully behind him and locking it. Dumbfounded, she finally managed to ask, "What?"_

"_I'm not going to leave you," he said slowly, "I'll quit the Jedi first." _

_New tears sprung to Buffy's eyes that had nothing to do with the eviction notice. "Ben, you shouldn't have to do that." She gave a little sniff and quickly wiped her eyes. "In fact, you know what? No. I can't ask you to leave the Jedi for me. I'm not that selfish. This is your life."_

_Obi-Wan grinned a little at her. "Actually, I wasn't going to leave it for you. Or, all for you at any rate," he quickly added, seeing the crushed look on her face. "I refuse to be a Jedi when we are forced to submit to the Chancellor as we've just been. For the Council to allow that…" he trailed off, shaking his head in obvious disgust. _

"_Oh," Buffy said. Okay, so maybe Benjy wasn't head over heels with her, but at least he cared, right? "So… what are we going to do now? Or, as a very wise and annoying demon named 'Sweet' once sang, 'Where do we go from here?" _

_Ben seated himself on the stool by her kitchen counter as he often did when they were talking in her apartment and said, "We'll simply have to find a place, sharing the rent of course."_

"_Of course."_

"_Because you know that I am…what did you just think? Ah yes, 'head over heels' with you, so it really shouldn't be a problem. And then we will continue with our leads. Palpatine will not get away so ea… UMPH!"_

_Buffy had tackled Obi-Wan, causing him to roughly hit the hard floor of her kitchen but he absorbed the fall and rolled with her until they were on the softer carpet of her living area. She assaulted him on the mouth then, viciously with her own allowing neither of them air- had they had the notion to breathe any time soon, which fortunately, they didn't- and Buffy was able to forget about Palpatine and the Council and her eminent homelessness and just focus on the way Ben's lips sent electrical shockwaves riveting down her spine. How she felt completely right in his arms, completely at home, just as he always made her feel. _

_Obi-Wan broke away first, pushing her away slightly until she began to moan in frustration and then he, very gently, rolled them over so that he lay on top of her, resting his full weight on his hands and knees as he hovered over her. He softly stroked her hair, which had come out of its ponytail in all the rolling and then leaned down and brushed a delicate kiss to her lips. _

"_What was that for?" Buffy asked breathlessly. _

_He tucked a loose tendril of her wispy blonde hair behind her ear before he leaned down again to pepper feathery light kisses down her jawbone mumbling almost inaudibly as he did so, "I could have asked you the same, but I try to refrain from asking questions to which I already know the answer."_

"_You know," Buffy sighed as he continued on down her neck, obviously enjoying the humming vibration of her vocal cords as that was where he chose to rest his mouth, "I have that whole mind-reading thing of yours all figured out."_

"_Do you?" he mumbled, his own breath tickling her throat. _

"_Yes, I know how to block you and how to let you listen." _

_Ben abruptly stopped his ministrations to her neck and pushed himself up. Buffy nearly hit herself over the head for foiling his obviously less than Jedi-standard intensions and got up as well, with a hand from Ben of course. _

"_Are you sure? We've been working on it, but I didn't sense you had any mastery of it yet…"_

"_Maybe I'm just that good," Buffy said while at the same time thinking, 'It's a good thing you have no idea how close I am to throwing you in my bedroom and having my way with you.' But she thought it as the subtext of her mental process, hiding the message behind her thoughts behind her words so that in the end, all she could assume Ben would pick up was, 'Maybe I'm just that good.'_

_Ben cocked his head to the side and regarded her carefully. "That," he said, "Was very good. If I hadn't known to look for it, I probably wouldn't have gotten anything."_

_Buffy rolled her eyes. "You mean you heard me? Like, REALLY heard what I was thinking?" And she could have sworn she'd nearly had it, too!_

_He smirked. "Something about your bedroom?"_

_But suddenly, the door flew open and Masters Windu and Yoda stepped and hovered, as the case may be, inside looking very grave. _

"_Sorry to interrupt, we are. But leave at once you must."_

_As soon as the door had flown open, not knowing what to expect, Ben had unconsciously moved slightly in front of Buffy, even though they both knew there was no need- she could take a hit better than he could- and from that position before her, he reached behind his back and grabbed her hand supportively. _

_Macey stepped forward and said, like it was a great burden he was getting off his chest or something, "Obi-Wan, we have let your…indiscretions slide. But the time has come for you to go your separate ways. It's too dangerous right now, for her and for you, as well as everyone in this Temple, to continue to investigate the Chancellor so overtly."_

_That same shadow of disgust Buffy had seen earlier, flashed across Ben's face as he slowly replied in a very cold tone she wasn't accustomed to, "So you would have us do nothing? You would have the Chancellor go about his business, AS THOUGH WE WEREN'T AWARE THAT HE'S THE SITH MASTER!!" _

_Everyone was speechless for a few seconds as the echo of Obi-Wan's voice resonated throughout the tight walls of the apartment room. _

"_Overtly, Master Windu said, Obi-Wan. Realize we do that guilty of something he is. Rush to conclusions, we will not. Investigate him, we must continue to," Yoda said quietly, staring very intently at Obi-Wan with a supreme look of calm masking his face and his voice. _

"_But without Buf…" Mace stared to say._

"_No," Ben said firmly. "He wants her off of this for a reason. He must be able to sense her unease. He knows she can feel his power. We need her on this." At the word, 'need,' Obi-Wan squeezed her hand and Buffy knew it was more than the mission that needed her. She squeezed back. _

"_Need her to investigate the Chancellor, we do not. Clouded by your affections, you are, Obi-Wan," Yoda said this very slowly, and behind his unreal calm, Buffy could perceive an intense sadness taking root. _

_Ben must have sensed it as well, because just like that, his whole demeanor changed. He released her hand, letting his own fall limply to his side as his shoulders slumped over in defeat. _

_Gently, Mace added, "Search past your feelings and see for yourself that Buffy has been compromised." He shifted his stern gaze to her and said in a tone that almost managed to pass for concern, "It's not that we don't appreciate everything you've done."_

_Ben scraped the palm of his hand up his temples and into his hairline in a frustrated manner before he gave a heavy sigh and said flatly, "I do understand, Masters. But..." His voice broke slightly and he turned to look at her. Buffy almost stepped backward in shock. She had never seen him so torn. _

_A man with two masters…_

_His pain reflected in her own greener eyes, she laid a hand as comforting as she was able to provide on his shoulder and then let it slide as she stepped forward and said firmly, "It's alright, everyone. I understand too. The only way you can catch this guy is by letting me go. And who knows? Maybe if he's too wrapped up tracking me, he'll be too busy to notice who ever you send." She turned around and whispered to Ben, "You need to be here, doing what you do best." She started into her bedroom, ready to pack her things but then threw over her shoulder, "And you better find me when all this is over or Sith Masters will be the least of the Jedi's problems!" _

_He solemnly nodded, but to which message, she had no idea- for there had been two. _

_The thought beneath her words and the thoughts with her words were muddled, purposefully so, but the subverted message had gone something like this, 'Following Palpy is all fine and well…dandy, but someone, namely me, has to check out what the monkey man said. Preferably alone because that definitely had to be the trigger to opening Palpy's can of tattle-telling and the more he thinks I'm cut off the better. That, or we go plan B and he really does follow me in which case everything's peachy since we'll definitely see each other that way.' And as she turned and threw over her shoulder her last comment, she clearly subverted her thought directly interlacing it with the words so that she was sure he heard her think, 'And I'm not going to say I love you. I'm pretty sure you already know it goes way deeper than that, so please don't worry about me. Worry about Anakin and Qui-Gon and tracking Palpy, but never worry about me. I'm the Slayer.' _

_And then she was closing the door. Leaning heavily with her back against it as she waited for all of them to leave. Waited to be alone, to leave the planet and to embrace the cold…_

A cold so numbing, she was pretty sure she'd never be able to feel her face again. Which might be a good thing considering it probably resembled a grapefruit at this stage of frostbite. Not that she had much experience with frostbite, or really bad snow storms- living in California for most of her life as it was- but she was pretty sure she didn't want a mirror at that moment as she stepped through the tall, dark green and purple stain-glassed automatic doors and up to what looked to be a reception desk manned by an diminutive little woman with wild, frizzy hair and a simple brown professional looking dress.

"May I help you?" She asked in flawless English.

Buffy sighed in relief, both from the warmness of the building and from the fact that Mygeeto humanoids apparently preferred English just like humanoids on Coruscant and Tatooine. "Yea, hi. My name is Joan Arc and I'm here to request a meeting with your boss, a Mr. Silas Cain? If he's in, that is. And doesn't mind meeting with someone from Coruscant, with a really big business proposition."

She smiled, like she'd no doubt been taught to and said politely, "If you'll just wait over there," she gestured to a row of seats, resembling floating disks along a glacially blue and white wall, "I'll see what Mr. Cain's personal secretary can do for you."

"Huge proposition," Buffy added unnecessarily and quickly went to seat herself, rearranging the blanket around her so it formed a sort of poncho that served to hide Tiggy's lightsaber from view.

The receptionist disconnected her transmission to Cain's secretary and hailed Buffy back. "Alright, Miss. Take the elevator up to the top floor and go all the way down the main corridor. You'll see the sign."

Buffy didn't point out the fact that from the moment she'd arrived in this dimension, there hadn't been a single thing she'd been able to read (she'd only chanced upon the right building because it was the biggest of the black spires and the sign above the stain-glassed doors had a little illustration of a supernova-like scene which she took to be their subtle symbol for an energy company) and quickly thanked the woman and walked to the elevator.

It was very sleek looking, not at all like some of the campus ones she'd used with Willow- they'd made frequent jokes about the irony of the Slayer dying from the elevator's jaws as opposed to that of her more traditional foe, the vampire- and Buffy quickly scanned the button pad for the highest floor. Like English, numbers seemed to be a unifying factor in this Galaxy, as they had been on Earth and she quickly punched the largest, the elevator rocketing up like a Saturn V as soon as she did so.

Unsteadily making her way out of the elevator, which she sort of doubted a machine that feisty could legally be termed as such, she found there was really only one large forest-green painted hallway to walk down. After stumbling along it for a ways, passing many tightly sealed, unmarked doors, she found one that was not only marked, but marked in a big way as two matching bronze colored human statues guarded it on either side and above it, a large sign read off something official looking.

"Hello, you must be Joan." The much prettier secretary greeted immediately as Buffy entered the elaborately decorated waiting room.

Buffy nodded absently, still taking in the rich paintings on the walls- most of which were focused on bleary crystallized mountains and dark, magnificently spiraling dark skyscrapers. It didn't take a genius to figure out where the painter had gathered his muses.

The secretary, in a voice straining to capture her attention, said, "Mr. Cain will be with you shortly, he just has to finish up the conference call he's on."

"Oh, of course." Buffy said, edging toward the large closed doors she assumed led to Cain's office as she pretended to inspect down the row of paintings. It wasn't hard, the secretary went back to pursuing her holographic catalog as soon as she'd announced Buffy…err, Joan's arrival.

Going as close as she dared to the doors, Buffy strained with her hearing to fixate on the other side of the thick dark-green glassed material. She could just make out the blurred voice of someone saying heatedly, "What do… mean…here? I… don't…stand. Well, he…etter." And then she heard nothing for a moment before the secretary called, "You can go in now, Ms. Arc."

The thick doors suddenly slid open to reveal a lavish office decorated in shades of deep forest green, like the glass doors and the expansive hallway had been, with pictures similar to those in the waiting area only larger and obviously more expensive. At the far end of the large room, across what seemed an acre of plush, hunter green carpet that looked soft and full enough to sleep on, sat an impressive desk, made entirely, or so it would seem, out of white crystal. Seated behind the desk was a large man, large in that he really was, in every dimension of the word, large.

He was barrel-chested and tall, with a gut that would have made Santa envious and had mousy, salt and pepper shaded hair clipped closely to his square-jawed skull. As he stood to welcome her in, she noticed that he was clothed in a snug, velvety black full-length cloak, fastened all the way from his neck to his toes- which she fervently hoped wasn't because he enjoyed playing commando in his personal office or anything.

He looked to be about Qui-Gon's age, but lacked the older Jedi's cultured voice and wizened stare when he narrowed his eyes- as grey and cold as the weather outside- on her and said sarcastically, "How nice to meet you, Ms. _Arc_." Okay, not with the good. And right off the bat too! Why did he have to be all judgy? She hadn't even gotten a chance to lay out her brilliant undercover scheme and already with the suspicion! "I understand you're here about a business proposition for Cain Enterprises?"

Well, if he wanted to toy with her a bit, then she'd just have to play along and see how much she could drag out before it came to fists. Not that it would be a problem. Big she could deal with…

Until a shadow stepped out from what she had at first mistaken for a closet door behind the glacial desk. The shadow glided just to the edge of the artificial light so that all she could make out for sure was that it was a human, maybe, and very lean. And kind of giving off a lot of creepy vibes according to her Spidey tingles.

"Oh, forgive me," Mr. Cain said pleasantly, all traces of misgiving gone with the arrival of the shadow. "This, is Mr. Quinn, my associate. Naturally, I'm sure he'll be interested in what you have to say as well."

The man, such as he was, stepped into the light and said in a liquidly velvet-smooth voice, "Ska-rey Quinn, Ms. Summers. A pleasure, I'm sure."

Buffy's stomach tightened. This wasn't her investigation. This wasn't even her mission anymore.

This was a trap, and one she had willingly walked right into.


	3. We All Fall Down

**The Only Thing to Fear…**

Disclaimer: Buffy is the property of Joss Whedon. Star Wars is the property of George Lucas. Christopher Nolan owns Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.

"_Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."_ ~ Yoda

"_So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." _~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A/N:_ I am a horrible person, giving a long delay (understatement I realize) only to provide you with a short chapter. I apologize but life is thus. Thanks for keeping with it and for contributing feedback. Also, a quick note of interest- Krayn is an actual character in the Star War mythos... but I'm taking some major liberties with him and mostly basing him off of Dr. Jonathan Crane from Batman Begins. _

**Chapter 3: We All Fall Down**

Darkness blanketed the Slayer's vision in thick, impenetrable folds. She quickly opened her eyes, the blood behind them streaking her vision in a crimson glow for a moment as they adjusted to the inky gloom. The red veins slowly shifted into crooked black bars as the frigid night all around her morphed into a drafty dungeon. Endless rows of cells, each encased in the same oddly menacing crooked coal bars went on for as far as her keen eyes could see in the pitch. The rows between the six by six cells and the cell floors themselves were a dusty colored earthen mix.

Buffy's face was currently shoved in that mix and she took a moment to gather herself, to feel her surroundings. The air was crisp, not stale as would normally be true for a dungeon. This meant one of several things, but she was hoping that it implied that an exit was nearby, keeping the blocks well ventilated and conveniently providing a nice escape route. The noises were typical of the incarcerated; a far-away stream of weakened and pathetic moans, a cackling laugh that scratched like fingernails against chalk to Buffy's fuzzy brain, and practiced footsteps crunching down the grainy aisle, no doubt her jailers come to check.

Though that could very well just be the ego talking, Buffy corrected herself as she slowly, gracelessly pulled herself up to a sitting position, the cold steel of the uneven bars pressed against her sore back as she leaned heavily back against it, her body limp and spent. She wiped off the sand on her cheek and made note of her new neighbors.

In the cage to her left, there was a young Twi'lek. The girl had cerulean skin and wide, bulbous eyes that skitted towards the Slayer when she felt her presence. A heart-shaped cherubic face greeted Buffy as the girl gave a tentative wave with one of her brain tails. Buffy waved back, swallowing the bile that was quickly rising in her throat.

The girl, and she was indeed a girl, probably no older than fifteen, was wearing the skimpiest excuse for clothing imaginable; a leather thong and matching bra-like harness, exposing so much of that brilliant blue skin that Buffy quickly had to look away before she starting pounding the letch's bars and breaking her knuckles… again.

The cage on Buffy's right imprisoned a human woman. She had dark, almost black hair and skin as pale as any Vampire's. She was sitting perfectly in the middle of her small cage, her legs tucked up tight against her exposed body with her arms wrapped stiffly around them, her unseen face securely hidden against her knees and behind her dull, endless dark locks.

Buffy shivered against the bars and her head whipped back to the aisle in front of her cell as the approaching footsteps came nearer until they stopped directly before her little slice of dungeon. Buffy eyed the two pairs of shoes for a moment, playing with her captors, baiting them to lose their patience as she studied only their feet and ignored their stares. Shoes told so much anyway. One of her captors, strangely enough, was apparently a woman judging by the petite size and the stylized toe. Not bad actually.

The other pair were more familiar and far less enviable, being the ones that had personally kicked her unconscious and she suspected a few more times after that for good measure. They were the shoes of one Mr. Ska-rey Quinn, A.K.A. Creepizoid.

The pair waited before Buffy's cell for a few minutes, apparently having nothing better to do than model their shoes for her. Finally, Buffy's own patience only stretching so far, she looked up unflinchingly into the eyes of her captors.

Creepizoid, she had met. He was actually not that bad looking, once you got past the almost alien architecture of his extremely well chiseled face. The razor sharp angles created deep shadows that made his pale beauty seem even darker, especially with the unruly black hair falling Victorian like to just past his ears. He wore the same business suit he had knocked her out in and Buffy marveled once again at how extremely lean he was, almost sickly so.

The woman at his side was actually the more intriguing of the two for Buffy because were it not for their positions and the grime factor, they could easily have passed for sisters. She was around Buffy's age, maybe slightly older and a little more filled-out with sapphire eyes instead of Buffy's green and just the tiniest bit taller than the Slayer. She had bright, blood red hair cropped as short as a pageboy's but her eyebrows gave away her natural blonde color. She had barb wire looking tattoos spaced evenly in rows across her cheeks and the clothes she wore mirrored the punk rock image with a loose yellow scarf and a leather jacket complete with spikes at the shoulder on one side and armor on the other. Her pants and shirt were dark and skintight, coming in layers and showing off her slim, curvy form. She had Buffy's facial features, even the slightly upturned nose, and there was a fierce confidence in the way she held herself; like she was a lioness or a huntress, a kindred Slayer.

The woman radiated a certain energy about her as well. Not the wraith like force that overshadowed Creepizoid, but something almost familiar. Buffy sought her eyes to communicate the question, but found only ice in the woman's stare, like a fortress built around her to keep others out.

"You'll want to watch where you're looking, girl," the woman said, her throaty voice seductively threatening.

Creepizoid wrapped his long, bone white fingers around the bars to Buffy's cage and peered down at the Slayer, as though observing a rare specimen. "By now, you have probably surmised the dealings of my establishment. Thoughts?" he asked, as though inquiring about the weather.

"Only about a million. Anger and Revulsion are capping the list at the moment, but get back to me in an hour and I think I'll have a winner for you," Buffy said as she used the bars behind her to pull herself into a pained standing position.

The woman gave a disturbing grin at Buffy's discomfort and murmured, "You're right, I like this one." She pulled out a long Katana that flashed brilliantly in the darkness. "She'll be fun to break."

Buffy crinkled her nose in disgust at the woman before turning to Creepizoid. "My very own dominatrix? You shouldn't have."

His purple tinged lips quirked upward in response. He leaned forward a bit more, till his black eyes were invading Buffy's personal space, and then whispered conspiratorially, "It was her idea to keep you. Had I my way, you would be shipping off to slavers on the Outer Rim as we speak." He pulled away from Buffy's cage and gave a sigh as though he were more of a doting father than a psychopathic, dark-angeled scarecrow. "But Zora likes her toys."

"Kids today." Buffy said, shaking her head in mock agreement before coming closer to the pair, showing them just how unafraid they made her. "So Jeeps, what's on the spa menu for today? A relaxing massage? A pedicure? Please tell me it's not a wax because then we might have some problems."

"All in good time, my dear," Creepizoid said silkily before opening her cage and stepping aside to allow Zora through. "And by the way, Ms. Summers. Only my business associates on Mygeeto call me Ska-rey Quinn. I'd much prefer it if you'd address me by my given name, Krayn."

Buffy refused to shrink back as the woman, Zora, bounded her hands behind her in thick iron manacles before roughly dragging her out and kicking her into the grainy floor of the aisle outside her cage. Skinned knees were the least of the Slayers problems as she rose onto them and spat out the blood and dirt. "Whatever you prefer, Jeeps."

Krayn glided in front of Buffy and caressed the top of her head once, almost like a pat, before he said, "I think you'll come to realize that soon enough. Until then, I leave you in Zora's capable hands," and then he was gone, the crunches of his footsteps disappearing like a ghost's as his figure faded into the shrouded darkness of the dungeon.

"Come on, precious," Zora said, yanking Buffy up by her hair and preparing to drag her in the opposite direction. "Let's get you… Oomph!"

Buffy headbutted the woman full in the face and then gave one backward roll, coming to stand up on the other side with her manacles now in front of her. "No need to go to any trouble over me. I'll just help myself," Buffy quipped with a grin now plastered on her face. She hoped it was successfully masking the zings of pain lacing up and down her body with protest at the contortion she'd just pulled off.

The woman's blue eyes sparkled and quicker than Buffy could flinch away, she found the Katana's sharp edge pressed to her throat, her skin breaking out in goosebumps at the cool feel of metal. "Play time is over. Time now to show how good a little girl you can be, otherwise I'll be seeing if two of you are really better than one."

"Somehow," Buffy pointed out as she shuffled forward in front of Zora, the Katana still firmly checked at her throat, "I think my body would miss my head too much. They've developed a rather close bond over the years."

Zora gave a throaty laugh. "Bonds were meant to be broken, precious."


	4. Infliction

**The Only Thing to Fear…**

Disclaimer: Buffy is the property of Joss Whedon. Star Wars is the property of George Lucas. Christopher Nolan owns Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.

"_Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."_ ~ Yoda

"_So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." _~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A/N:_ Thanks to those few that reviewed. I greatly appreciated it. Zora's character, not to give too much away again or anything, is also canon to Star Wars. Please read, enjoy, and be sure to review. With summer here, we might actually be getting some regular updates. Also, apologies for the shortness of the chapter. _

**Chapter 4: Infliction**

Buffy's eyes rolled back inside her skull once more and if she'd had the will power to laugh, she would have. It seemed like all she ever did these days was wake up from unconsciousness.

Zora's favorite way of waking up her charges, at least in Buffy's limited experience with the anything but psychotic jailer, was to lay her katana across the inmate's bare stomach and release the shock wave the sword apparently could generate, much like Buffy's old vibrosword could. The end result was a very rude awakening and tremendously frizzy hair, both of which the Slayer could have lived without.

Just as Buffy was deciding that she'd rather just fall into the blackness again than stare at Zora's bloody red mop one more second, another wave of electricity ripped through the Slayer's small body and she began to spasm uncontrollably. The induced seizure garnered Buffy a bloody split lip where her teeth had clenched it in pain, as well as renewed the ache in her wrists and ankles where the leather bindings that gripped her to the table burned further into her aggravated skin. Her nerve endings, spent and pulsing with residual agony, only served to vaguely remind Buffy that she was still very much alive.

"Can't have you drifting off now," Zora murmured, somewhere very near to Buffy's ears, her voice low and sultry. "We've not even had the opportunity to be properly acquainted with each other. And I feel…"

She drifted off and Buffy tensed as she anticipated another zing of the vibro-kantana, but was surprised when she felt a soothing graze of the woman's fingers as they pushed some of the Slayer's sweaty hair off her forehead. Two of her fingertips stayed rooted to the Slayer's temple for an indeterminable length of time, ghosting over the skin like the memory of a kiss.

Struggling to view the woman's face through her blurry vision, Buffy saw that Zora had her eyes closed, a look of confusion and… pain? gracing her tattooed features.

"…a familiar presence," she finally whispered, the bravado stripped away to reveal a haunted quality Buffy realized she hid with the utmost of expertise.

Instead of questioning her on it, leading to what Buffy was sure would be a swift- and probably painful for the Slayer's part- cover-up, she chose instead to play the part of the delirious captive struggling to stay conscious. A part, she reconciled, she was born to play at the moment.

"Oh, come now, precious," Zora cajoled, her mechanisms once more firmly in place. "You can do better than that. I know you're awake."

Buffy groaned. "How much longer do we have to play?"

Zora laughed her throaty laugh. "Boring you, are we?"

"Infinitely."

"You're not the least curious what plans lie in your future?" She asked with a distinct lack of surprise, as she was the one truly bored with their arrangement. Until the ghost of that presence came through, she had even been considering following through with Krayn's disgusting plans for the girl. There were simply too many others to contend with.

"Obviously, you're going to lay it out for me in some long-winded spiel, so no, I'll just sit back here in my comfy bed and enjoy the spa facial."

Zora ran her hand gently down Buffy's cheek, caressing the skin before giving it a sharp slap. "Enough of your glib, Buffy. If you want out, you're going to have to keep those pithy thoughts to yourself."

Buffy's hazy vision cleared and her eyes widened. "Should I ask how you happen to know my name, or is it going to be one of those things where I'd wish I'd rather not have?"

"Let's just say we have a mutual… friend," Zora said, her husky voice back as she quickly moved about the Slayer, a small blade in her hand slicing shallow cuts along Buffy's grimy arms and legs.

"So, very much with the latter of those then," Buffy griped, wincing as the cuts were formed and her body stretched itself to heal them.

"Ugh!" Zora yelled and then threw the small blade so hard, it embedding itself in the earthen wall, "Your healing factor will be your death!"

"Umm…really not following you there." Zora quirked a blonde eyebrow at the Slayer and suddenly, the truth of the situation hit the Slayer like a wave of peroxide. "You're not really what you seem," Buffy stated, somewhat stupidly, but mostly assured of her intuition. The spidey-sense just did not lie.

"No more than you are, precious."

Zora tossed the limp girl back into the filthy cage they'd dragged her from before turning to Krayn with an apologetic grin. "Sorry, Sir. I couldn't help myself. Went a little further than I should have with her."

Krayn stooped beside Buffy's inert form, her sweaty hair and blood stained skin now caking itself with dirt. He felt for her pulse, nodding to himself with whatever rhythm or lack thereof he found. "She wouldn't break for you?" He asked quietly, his voice as smooth as the red silk he slept upon and his face its usual pattern of jagged shadows. His eyes flashed black when they turned on her.

"Little chit said she'd rather die first. It seemed rude to not oblige her."

Krayn heaved a generous sigh and gracefully stood, his rail-lean body mirroring the crooked bars around the cage just as she knew he intended them to. "An awful shame. She would have fetched quite a price on Nar Shaddaa."

Zora shifted slightly. "Is that where we're taking the latest shipment?"

"No, my dear," Krayn said softly before spinning to face her and expelling a thick yellow toxin from his mouth, directly into her face. "That's where _I_ am taking the latest shipment. You, unfortunately, will be among it."

Zora gagged a bit and tried to focus as the visions assaulted her and the terror formed deep in her chest. She unlocked her katana with deft fingers, automatically finding their way around the familiar hilt, and drew it up in a swinging path that would have lobbed off Krayn's head, aglow as it was with dark beauty and foul vengeance, but he anticipated her and lashed out with the heel of his hand, catching her in the throat and forcing her to drop the weapon and succumb to the winding and the prison her mind was quickly forming over her consciousness.

As she fell to her knees, madly clutching at her neck while her eyes rolled and foam began to froth on her ruby red lips, Krayn calmly slithered up to her and neatly plucked the kantana from the ground before which she was currently writhing. He then knelt directly in front of her and tucked one of his pale, skeletal hands inside the large pocket of her leather jacket. He pushed the jacket roughly against her ribs, his long fingers running along the grooves he found between them. For an infinite second, he dipped his lips to her forehead and pressed the faintest of kisses to her heated skin, the nightmares forming in her mind swirling like a hundred angry bees at his touch.

Then he pulled the two lightsabers from her pocket and withdrew from the cell, careful to lock it securely behind him. "An awful shame…" he repeated, his white teeth glowing in the darkness of the dungeon as he smiled.


End file.
